Work guide for sewing machines



April 1944. J. ROSENZWEIG 2,347,127

WORK GUIDE FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed June 6, 1942 INVENTOR. JUL/U5PosENgwals 9 13 ,4 7'7'OPNFV NEE STATES i ATENT OFFICE WORK GUIDE FORSEWING MACHINES .l'ulius Rosenzweig, New York, N. Y.

Application June 6, 1942, Serial No. 446,002

6 Claims.

This invention relates to work guide for sewing machines. It isparticularly directed to an adjustable guide adapted to be attached tothe work plate or" a sewing machine to guide bands, ribbons or otherwork during the sewing operation, when making tucks and for the likepurposes.

In making tucks, the material is folded and stitched longitudinallyclose to the fold. Difiiculty has been found in guiding the foldedmaterial so that the stitching can be made close to the fold. An objectof the present invention is therefore to provide a guide of thecharacter described having improved means for guiding the foldedmaterial in such a manner as to permit stitching very close to thefolded edge thereof, whereby to facilitate the making of tucks in thematerial.

A further object of this invention is to provide a guide of thecharacter described which is adjustable for bands of various widths.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a guide of tilecharacter described, formed with an upwardly extending fin orproiec'tion adapted to engage one edge of the material to be sewed, saidfin or projection being so constructed that it may be received withinthe slot of the lpresser foot, said guide being adjustable on the workplate of the sewing machine to also permit engagement of said fin orprojection with an outer sideof the presser foot or beneath the upturnedtoe portion of the :presser foot.

Still .anotherobject of this invention is to proide a guide of thecharacterdescribed having an adjustable work engaging member which maybe fixed to the guide in various adjusted positions to accommodate bandsor work of different width, said guide being so constructed that theadjustable member may be moved out of the way when not in use, the guidefurthermore being formed with a fixed work engaging member to be usedfor guiding work of predetermined width, when the adjustable guide isnot in use.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a guide of thecharacter described, which may be attached to the work plate in variousadjusted positions.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a strong anddurable guide of the character described, which shall ,be relativelyinexpensive to manufacture, easy to assemble, adjust and manipulate, andyet practical and efficientto a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part-be obvious and inpart"hcreinafterpointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangement 0f parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which thescope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the variouspossible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. l is a top plan view of a work plate and presser foot with a guideembodying the invention mounted on the work plate and showing theadjustable member in inoperative position in dot, dash lines;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. l is a partial top plan view taken below the presser foot andillustrating the method of guiding the material along the guide finduring the sewing operation;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 5-5 1 Fig. l; and

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 5-45 of Fig. 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, H1 designates the work plate ofa sewing machine, and H designates a presser foot of usual constructionused therewith, while numeral 12 designates an improved work guide l2embodying the invention.

The work plate ii] is formed with a pair of parallel, longitudinal slotsor openings l4 and 1-5, in which are located the oscillating feeders Maand l5a respectively.

As shown in the drawing, slot H3 is longer than slot 55. The work plateis also formed with an opening H, aligned with slot is and located infront thereof. Said slot H has an offset portion is extending towardslot l4 and through which the needle 2i] passes during the sewingoperation.

The presser foot H is formed with a longitudinal slot 22 and hasportions 23 and 2.4 on opposite sides pfs'aid slot. Portion 23 is inalignment with thejeed member Ma, whereas presser foot portion 2A is inalignment with the feed member 15a. As shown in the drawing, the needle2d passes .through theslot 22 in the presser foot. The front ends of thetoes'of presser foot portions 2-3, .24 are inclined upwardly andforwardly.

The work plate .I ii, the presser foot-l I, the feeds Ma and la and theneedle 20 as described above are of usual and well known construction.

The guide l2 embodying the invention comprises a member 30 generally ina direction inclined rearwardly and to the right relative to front edgeof the work plate 10, as shown in Fig. I. Said member 30 comprises afiat, L-shaped portion 3| lying on the work plate It), and having alongitudinal portion 31a and a portion 3lb extending forwardly from theright end of portion am. Extending from portion 3") is an integral,horizontal guide rail arm 32 offset upwardly from said fiat portion 3|,and connected to said portion 3 lb, by a shoulder 33. Arm 3 2 isparallel to portion 3la and spaced therefrom by slot 4 and extendstherebeyond to the left. i

Portion 3| has at the rear of its left end, an edge or shoulder 35,perpendicular to the front edge of work plate i9 and adapted to contactone side of the presser foot H. Said portion 3la is furthermore formedwith a portion 35 disposed forwardly of shoulder 35 and extending beyondsaid shoulder. Extending upwardly from said portion 35, is a fin orfixed guide stop or projection 3'! parallel to said shoulder 35.

The projection 31 thus likewise extends in a direction at right anglesto the front edge of the work plate l0, and is adapted to be receivedwithin slot 22 to contact the inner edge of presser foot portion 24.Thus, the distance between the projection 31 and shoulder 35 issubstantially equivalent to the width of the presser foot portion 24.Projection 31 has an upwardly and forwardly inclined upper edge 31a ofsubstantially the same inclination as the toe portions of the presserfoot, for the purpose hereinafter appearing.

Arm 32 is also fiat and disposed in a horizontal plane somewhat abovethe plane of the top surface ofthe work plate Ill. The outer end of arm3lis bent upwardly and backwardly, as at 4|, to form a fixed guide stop42 when guiding a work of a predetermined width, which width isequivalent to a distance between the projection 31 and the stop 42, in adirection parallel to the front edge of the work plate.

slidably mounted on arm 32 is a movable and adjustable guide stop 45.The guide stop 45 has a sleeve 46 slidably receiving the arm 32. On armsleeve 46 is an adjustable screw 41 to fix said adjustable stop in anydesired adjustable position. Extending from sleeve 45 is an upwardlyturned guide member 48, parallel to the projection 3?. scale 55 which iscalibrated to give the normal width of the work guided between theprojection 31 and the adjustable guide stop 45.

It will be noted that the work is engaged at one edge by the projection31 and at the other edge by the guide stop 45. The guides for theopposite edges of the work are thus not aligned with each other, so thatthe work is guided at different longitudinal points at opposite edgesthereof, thus facilitating guiding of the material during the sewingoperation.

If it is desired not to use the adjustable guide 45, screw 41 may beloosened and member 45 then moved to the dotted line position shown inFig. 1, within slot 40, so as to be out of the way.

The work plate I0 is formed with a pair of tapped holes 56 and 51,either one of which can receive a screw 58 with a wide head. Portion 3|of member 30 is formed with a pair of parallel, longitudinaI slots 59,60. The screw passes through one of the slots and is screwed into oneArm 32 may be marked with a of said tapped openings. Upon turning thescrew, the head thereof will press the guide plate firmly against thework plate I!) to hold it against movement.

It will be noted that the guide member [2 can be adjusted, by looseningthe screw 58, to bring the projection 31 either within the slot 22 asshown in full lines in Fig. 1, or against the outer side of the presserfoot as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, or beneath the toe of thepresser foot, as is also shown in dotted lines in said Fig. 1,

or to other positions.

When the projection 31 is within the slot 32, the work may be stitchedvery close to its edge, since there is very little distance between theplane of the projection 31 and a plane parallel thereto and passingthrough the needle 20. Thus, with a guide embodying the invention, tucksmay be made by folding a piece of material longitudinally and thenstitching the folded piece with the folded edge contacting theprojection 31 during the stitching operation, thus making a line ofstitching close to the fold. When the material is unfolded, a fine tuckwill be produced. The improved guide member l2 may be used for guidingribbons, hat bands, or any other similar work during the stitchingoperation. If desired, the guide 3'! alone may be used.

It will now be understood that the positions of the guides for theopposite edges of the work maybe adjusted relative to the line ofstitching.

If desired, the turned back portion 42, 4| may be omitted.

The advantages of constructing the guide to lie at an inclination to thepresser foot is that the rail arm projecting forwardly and to the left,is out of the way of the presser foot. Furthermore, th projection 31 maybe easily adjusted by moving the guide about the attached screw 58.Thus, the projection 31 may be moved forwardly of the presser foot so asto be out of the way of said foot. Such adjustment would not be readiyaccomplished if the guide were at right angles to the presser foot.Furthermore with such construction, the projection 31 can be placedclose to the needle so as to aid in producing a fine tuck.

-In making bands for the crowns of uniform caps, such as policemen orfiremen caps, or the like, itis necessary to make a tuck above the loweredge of the band. Heretofore, it was necessaryto mark a line on the bandwhere the tuck was to be made in order to have the tuck at a particularheight above the lower edge of the band. With the improved guide hereindisclosed, it is possible to make such a tuck without necessity formarking the band before the stitching operation. The reason is that theimproved guide can be adjusted to the desired width of the band and-theguide will then guide the band through the sewing operation so as not tovary the line of stitching relative to the edges of the band.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which theseveral objects of this invention are achieved, and which is welladapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention,and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth,it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A guide of the character described, comprising a member formed with aslot to receive a screw for attaching the guide to the work plate of asewing machine, said member being formed with a shoulder adapted tocontact the outer side of a presser foot, and being formed with anupwardly projecting fin parallel to said shoulder and spaced therefromand adapted to be received within the slot of the presser foot, saidmember being furthermore formed with an arm, an adjustable stop memberslidably mounted thereon, and means to fix the adjustable stop member onsaid arm in various adjusted positions.

2. A work guide for a sewing machine comprising a member having a flatportion adapted to contact the top of the work plate of the sewingmachine, and an arm parallel to said fiat portion, said member beingformed with a slot between said arm and said flat portion, said armextending beyond said flat portion, said arm being formed at its outerend with a fixed stop, said flat portion being formed with an upwardlyprojecting portion adapted to engage within the slot of a presser foot,said flat portion being formed with a slot to receive means forfastening said member to the work plate of the sewing machine, said flatportion being furthermore formed with a shoulder parallel to saidprojection and adapted to engage the presser foot, and adjustable guidemeans on said arm adapted to be moved into the slot in said member.

3. A sewing machine guide comprising a member having a flat L-shapedportion comprising a longitudinal arm, and an arm extending at rightangles thereto, a rail arm extending from the second arm of saidL-shaped portion and disposed parallel to the longitudinal arm of saidL-shaped portion and separated therefrom by a slot and extending in thesame direction as said longitudinal arm, and therebeyond, said L-shapedportion being formed with a longitudinal slot to receive means forfastening said guide member to the work plate of a sewing machine, saidlongitudinal arm being formed with an upwardly extending projectionadapted to engage one longitudinal edge of a piece of cloth to guidesaid piece during the sewing operation, and a member slidably mounted onsaid rail arm for engaging the opposite edge of said piece of clothduring the stitching operation, said slidably mounted member beingmovable into the slot which separates the rail arm from saidlongitudinal arm, so as to be out of the way when not in use, saidlongitudinal arm having a shoulder adapted to engage one side of thepresser foot, said shoulder being parallel to said projection and spacedtherefrom.

l. A sewing machine guide comprising a member having a fiat L-shapedportion comprising a longitudinal arm, and an arm extending at rightangles thereto, a rail arm extending from the second arm of saidL-shaped portion and disposed parallel to the longitudinal arm of saidL-shaped portion and separated therefrom by a slot and extending in thesame direction as said longitudinal arm, and therebeyond, said L-shapedportion being formed with a longitudinal slot to receive means forfastening said guide member to the work plate of a sewing machine, saidlongitudinal arm being formed with an upwardly extending projectionadapted to engage one longitudinal edge of a piece of cloth to guidesaid piece during the sewing operation, a member slidably mounted onsaid rail arm for engaging the opposite edge of said piece of clothduring the stitching operation, said slidably mounted member beingmovable into the slot which separates the rail arm from saidlongitudinal arm so as to be out of the way when not in use, and a fixedstop at the outer end of said rail arm adapted to engage an edge of thepiece of cloth being stitched when said slidably mounted member is movedto inoperative position, and to prevent said slidably mounted memberfrom coming off said rail arm.

5. A guide of the character described, comprising a member formed with aslot to receive a screw for attaching the guide to the work plate of asewing machine, said member being formed with a shoulder adapted tocontact the outer side of a presser foot, and being formed with anupwardly projecting fin parallel to said shoulder and spaced therefromand adapted to be received within the slot of the presser foot, saidmember being furthermore formed with an arm, an adjustable stop memberslidably mounted thereon, means to fix the adjustable stop member onsaid arm in various adjusted positions, said stop being parallel to saidfin, and said arm being inclined to said fin and stop.

6. A sewing machine guide comprising a member having a flat L-shapedportion comprising a longitudinal arm, and an arm extending at rightangles thereto, a rail arm extending from the second arm of saidL-shaped portion and disposed parallel to the longitudinal arm of saidL-shaped portion and separated therefrom by a slot and extending in thesame direction as said longitudinal arm, and therebeyond, said L-shapedportion being formed with a longitudinal slot to receive means forfastening said guide member to the work plate of a sewing machine, saidlongitudinal arm being formed with an upwardly extending projectionadapted to engage one longitudinal edge of a piece of cloth to guidesaid piece during the sewing operation, and a member slidably mounted onsaid rail arm for engaging the opposite edge of said piece of clothduring the stitching operation, said slidably mounted member beingmovable into the slot which separates the rail arm from saidlongitudinal arm, so as to be out of the way when not in use, saidlongitudinal arm having a shoulder adapted to engage one side of thepresser foot, said shoulder being parallel to said projection and spacedtherefrom, said rail arm being inclined to said projection.

JULIUS ROSENZVFLIG

